Trump urges Netanyahu to end Gaza war and not threaten Iran – CNN
Donald Trump (Photo: CHRIS KLEPONIS/ EPA)

US President Donald Trump has asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to stop the war in Gaza and stop talking about attacking Iran, CNN reported , citing a source familiar with the details of the leaders' conversation.

Trump and Netanyahu spoke by phone on Monday, June 9.

According to the TV channel's interlocutor, during the conversation, Trump asked Netanyahu to stop leaking information, reporting plans and preparations for an Israeli attack on Iran's nuclear facilities.

Trump said his administration is "trying to make a deal so there is no destruction and no death in Iran."

In response, Netanyahu said that Iran was simply trying to buy time and was not serious about negotiations. The Israeli prime minister has repeatedly insisted on a military option to stop Iran's nuclear program.

As the channel notes, Trump and Netanyahu are also increasingly at odds over the war in Gaza, which has been going on for more than 20 months.

Netanyahu has made it clear that his war goals include the complete disarmament and elimination of Hamas, while Trump insists on ending the war.

Officially, the US president reported that the conversation between him and Netanyahu went "very well, very smoothly."

  • On May 5, Prime Minister Netanyahu's cabinet voted to intensify the offensive against Hamas in Gaza to the point of capturing the entire enclave and holding its territories.
  • On May 19, Israel announced a partial lifting of the blockade of Gaza and appealed to the UN to resume humanitarian aid deliveries. At the same time, the Israeli military announced the start of "large-scale ground operations" throughout the enclave.
  • The sixth round of talks between the US and Iran on their nuclear program is set to begin on Sunday, June 15. Iran is close to abandoning the deal with the US , as it does not agree to the demand to completely stop enriching uranium and exporting its reserves to a third country.